Just Us
by ChemicallyEnhanced
Summary: Various K to M one-shots that I'm too lazy to make longer. "Confessions" stories are also in here now. Used to be called "Forever and Ever With You".
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Sekaiichi Hatsukoi because I'm not Nakamura-sensei.

* * *

Ritsu experienced a very rude awakening when the door to his bedroom slammed open and a very loud voice broke through his consciousness with a, "Oi, wake up! It's laundry day!" He only buried further into the covers, grumbling and trying to get away from that horrible light that flashed behind his eyes.

Alas, his warm and heavenly blankets were pulled away by a very strong hand, making him open one eye sullenly and peer up at whoever just ruined his sleep. A frowning face framed with black hair greeted him. He only closed his eyes again, hoping it was just a nightmare that _laundry day_ had come. He _hated_ laundry day.

"Onodera, get your lazy ass up or so help me I'll _drag_ you out the door," his lover threatened, already tugging at his arm roughly.

"Eeeh…" Ritsu whined, trying in vain to pull his arm back. "It's too early in the morning. Five more minutes…"

Masamune only sighed exasperatedly. "Ritsu, when will this end? You do this _every single week._ Idiot, get _up._ "

Ritsu pouted, opening his wide green eyes again. "You're the idiot if you think I'm getting up."

"You're already basically awake," Masamune pointed out. "Might as well help me do laundry~."

"Ugh, don't talk like that."

"Like what~?"

Ritsu rolled over in bed and covered his face with his hands. "Like…you're singing or something. Only Kisa's boyfriend does that." Ah, he remembered the first time he'd met Yukina-san. The then-college student had sparkled so brightly in Kisa's presence that Ritsu felt he almost went blind. It was a wonder how Kisa could handle that every day. Maybe he had some kind of special sunglasses…

He was letting his mind wander again. Sigh.

"Does it bother you when I do this~?"

Ritsu huffed but a smile came to his face anyways. "Yes, very. If you stop doing it, I might consider getting up."

Immediately, Masamune's tone changed into his normal one. "Fine then. That better, Ritsu-sama?"

"Much."

"Then get the hell up!" Masamune barked, making Ritsu jolt up and fall over onto the floor.

Rubbing his head, Ritsu glared at the older man and stood up, stretching out his back. "Alright, _jeez._ I'm up, grouchy-pants. Get that knot out of your panties."

Masamune crossed his arms and stuck his tongue out.

"Tch," Ritsu rolled his eyes, moving across the room to find some pants. "Real mature, Masamune. How old are you, 10?"

"Only with you, my beloved," Masamune replied, wrapping his arms around Ritsu's shoulders and grinning widely.

"Yeah, yeah. What about that laundry you were talking about?" Ritsu shrugged himself out of Masamune's hug and pulled on a pair of old sweatpants as well as a sleeping shirt. "Dark or light today?"

"Dark," Masamune said as he started picking up dirty clothes from the floor. "I need more shirts."

Ritsu followed him out with another eye-roll. "You wear too much dark clothing, Masamune."

"But I look pretty se—"

"I swear to God, if you finish that sentence, I'm not helping you with this."

Surprisingly, Masamune shut his mouth with playful lock-and-key mime, only stepping over books and old _Emerald_ magazines on the floor on his way to the laundry room. Ritsu was pleased. It wasn't every day that his lover actually listened to what he said. It happened maybe…once every two blue moons. Which was very, very rare. The fact only made him slightly suspicious, as the other man might've been planning something as soon as Ritsu had opened his mouth that morning.

"I'm just saying, you could stand to be a bit more responsible," Masamune was saying as they tossed the dirty clothes in the open washing machine. "Before we started living together, your place was like the result of World War III." A dark pair of boxers hit his face before he finished his sentence.

" _I'm_ not responsible, Masamune?" Ritsu asked, a sharp smile on his face. "Tell me, who was the one who left _our entire luggage at home_ when we went on that trip to Okinawa?"

Masamune only graced him with a blank expression. "Slipped my mind."

"See?"

His lover only sighed, but there was a small smile at the edge of his lips. "I apologized for that, didn't I?"

Ritsu flushed—the first time in a while—as he remembered how Masamune had… _made it up_ to him during the trip, and many times at that. "Y-yeah…" He turned away to hide his red face as he measured the detergent for the washing machine into a cup. "Still. I had to wear the same underwear for 3 days!"

"Not like we had any use for them, ne?" Masamune raised an eyebrow, smirking.

Ritsu could only laugh. "Stop making it sound so dirty!" He shoved teasingly at Masamune, his own smirk playing about his lips. "You make it sound like all we did on our vacation was have sex."

Cue eyebrow-wagging. "Didn't we?"

Oh, he was so ridiculous. Ritsu really, really loved him. He laughed again, leaning against the washing machine. "Maybe you remember it that way. I wouldn't be surprised."

"Ah…" Masamune sighed out, standing shoulder-to-shoulder next to Ritsu.

They didn't speak for a few minutes, only the noises of the washing machine rumbling behind them and the comfortable silence filling the spaces where words didn't need to go. Ritsu never thought of it much anymore, but somehow he let his mind slip back to those days when they'd just started dating again, when everything was still awkward between them and Ritsu didn't know how to act around his new…lover. Now they were so comfortable around each other that they could safely bring up past issues that used to bring them a lot of pain and hurt with no problem.

Without looking, Ritsu let his hand slide next to Masamune's, a pale pink blush appearing high up on his cheeks. He didn't say anything, but the gentle squeeze back told him everything he really needed to know.

Perhaps laundry day wasn't as bad as it used to be.

* * *

A/N: VDSIFJIIDJFODHGDUOHGUHEDGWA

So. This will be the first of a few drabbles/one-shots about Ritsu and Masamune being domestic or cute or whatever. I already have two more ideas, but feel free to comment on what you guys want to see between them! More is better!

-ChemicallyEnhanced


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to **Vanessa Wolf-Nero Wolf** for this idea! ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ

* * *

Masamune's eye twitched as he watched Ritsu being attacked by the little Japanese spitz he had bought for him, officially dubbed "Yuki" for his pure white coat. He'd thought it would be a good idea for his subordinate to have a pet at the time he held it in his arms at the store. Of course, there was no accounting for Ritsu's inability to even take care of himself, or the busy schedules that he had, no. All the older man had imagined was both of them playing around with the dog and laughing together and…well, he'd been working in the shoujo manga business for a while, okay?

But oh, how wrong he'd been. Yuki had accustomed to his new home very easily—maybe a bit too easily. And Onodera easily welcomed the small white dog into his apartment like he always belonged there. There was some suspicion on why he bought the pup in the first place, but that was brushed aside when it had bounded into Ritsu's arms and barked playfully, licking his face and making him laugh.

God, how Masamune regretted his decision now. It was probably not one of his best ideas when it came to Ritsu, maybe in the bottom ten. Why?

 _Because the fucking dog is taking up my precious time with Ritsu!_

He only felt his irritation grow when Ritsu cooed at the dog and rubbed at its head. Refusing to admit his jealousy for the barely 3 kg dog, Masamune scooted over to where Ritsu was sitting on his living room floor, still engrossed in that animal.

"Onodera."

Ritsu only glanced over once before turning back again to Yuki. "Hm?" He replied distractedly, laughing again—for what must have been the 20th time in as many minutes—when his Yuki snuffled its nose into his neck.

Masamune swallowed a territorial growl of "He's mine, back off" and instead said, "I assume you'll be able to keep up with work, considering your new…house guest."

"Well you bought him for me so you must've had that in mind right, Takano-san?" Ritsu asked confusedly, tilting his head—which should _not_ have looked so cute. Wasn't it a crime to be so adorable without even realizing it?

 _Damn him for his lapses in judgment!_ He clenched a fist in his jacket pocket. "Of course. I was just making sure, is all. The quality of your work had better not drop because of this."

"Yeah, yeah…" Ritsu waved off idly, nodding. "I get it." The dog had started to whine, causing Ritsu to rub his stomach with more coos and soft smiles of "Who's a good boy? You are!".

Ugh, Masamune shouldn't have found this scene as sickeningly sweet and cute as he did. Curse his weakness for fluffy things and Ritsu's. Mouth flattening into a thin line, he stood up and moved towards the door, deadpanning, "I'm going back to my apartment. See you."

"Mhm…"

He almost wanted to throttle something for how little attention Ritsu was paying him. Normally, Ritsu would inadvertently give all his undivided attention to Masamune, which of course pleased the older man greatly. But he pressed down his violent urges into a deep, dark corner of his mind and just left, all the while slowly formulating a plan—granted, a very stupid plan—to get Ritsu to pay attention to him.

* * *

Ritsu stared blankly at the sight before him. He didn't look very pleased, Masamune thought. Well, he was sort of wearing dog ears, so…

"What," Ritsu stated.

"Woof," Masamune answered, trying his best to act like a dog. Hey, he'd _said_ beforehand that it was a very stupid idea, but what could you do when it was the person you loved? To play it up even more, he rolled over onto his back and brought his hands up to his chest like he'd seen other dogs on television do.

Sadly, Ritsu only rubbed at his eyes and continued staring like he couldn't believe what was happening. "What," he said again, this time with his signature frown just for Masamune.

Well, he wanted to feel special, that's all.

"Woof."

"Takano-san. Just…no. Why would you do this? It's…disturbing." At least Ritsu had stopped fawning over that dog for the meantime. Though…even the dog was staring at Masamune strangely. Tch, even the mutt thought he was being weird. Great. What had he been reduced to?

"I'm a dog. Pet me. Love me," was Masamune's deadpan answer as he sat up again and pushed his head into Ritsu's hand.

And here was the shocker. Ritsu had started laughing behind the hand that wasn't scratching at Yuki's fur. Granted, it was kind of mocking and wasn't the sort of laugh Masamune had hoped to bring from his beloved, but well…it was still a laugh. He smirked triumphantly.

Ritsu shook his head after his laughing fit. "Takano-san, you are just ridiculous. What were you thinking?"

"I want to be the only one to get your attention."

Those emerald eyes he loved so much widened. Masamune swore he could hear Ritsu's increasingly-quick heartbeat from where he was sitting. He was so predictable, even though it was endearing sometimes. "Then why did you buy Yuki for me?"

Masamune shrugged and took the dog ears off. Don't ask where he got them on such short notice. Let's just say there was an incident involving Sorata and keep it at that. "Stupid ideas." _Well, it's because of you I make stupid ideas, you know…_ But of course, he wasn't going to say that. He didn't want to scare Ritsu away just yet.

"Wow, Masamune Takano has stupid ideas. Imagine that," Ritsu muttered, sounding exasperated.

"Oi. It's not so weird, you know." Masamune's eyes narrowed.

Ritsu shrugged and just gave him a lopsided smile. "I know. It's just funny."

God, Masamune wanted to see that smile for the rest of his life. "Uh-huh…"

"But, well…" Ritsu held the white dog up to Masamune's face and smiled uncertainly. "He's technically your dog, too."

 _Ba-thump. Ba-thump._ Stupid heart. It shouldn't have been beating faster just from this one sentence. But it was. "Hm."

"S-so…" Oh, that adorable blush. "If you ever need to come over to see him…"

 _Is that your way of saying you want to spend more time with me, Ritsu?_

As soon as Ritsu raised his small, blushing face with those pouting lips and glaring eyes, Masamune was already lost. He then proceeded to ravish the all-living hell out of him.

All. Night. Long.

Not bad for a day, huh?

* * *

A/N: I couldn't help but burst out laughing at Masamune's impression of a dog. Jeez.

-ChemicallyEnhanced


	3. Chapter 3

Well, I'm on a roll today.

 **You know you've all dreamt of this happening, in some form or another. –winks**

* * *

Sighing contentedly, Ritsu plunged the next dish into the sink and scrubbed at it, bubbles forming all over his hands and wrists. It had been a nice dinner with Masamune and Ritsuka (1), quiet and with no yelling that usually came with their three year old daughter. Ritsu laughed softly to himself; things had really changed in the past seven years, hadn't they? Even though some days he felt more like a housewife than anything, what with taking care of Ritsuka between juggling Mutou and Satou-sensei's work, he still wouldn't change anything at all.

Though the increased frequency of him being on top certainly helped some matters, after all.

After they'd gotten married in Shibuya (2) not long after Ritsu's 28th birthday, the two of them had decided to adopt—Masamune's idea, not his—and had found a little girl with dark hair and eyes that they had fallen immediately in love with. And so Ritsuka was born, adding a bit more work and stress to their lives, but…it was the good kind. Ritsu knew Masamune hadn't come from a very loving family, so to able to be a _real_ one, the kind that his husband had wanted to always experience, was something that Ritsu would never take away.

As he finished with the dishes and wiped his hands, Ritsu went to go find what Masamune and Ritsuka were doing. Unfortunately, their daughter had acquired Masamune's penchant for being particularly naughty—not that kind, perverts!—and had the tendency to hide away from him or just make things more difficult than they needed to be. He stopped at the bathroom when he heard splashes and giggling and the low, soothing tones of his husband.

Ritsu couldn't stop his heart from melting when he looked in on what they were doing.

Ritsuka was playing with a toy boat amidst all the bubbles that surrounded her while Masamune was sitting behind her and washing her hair, his long legs wrapped around the sides of the bathtub. He held a hand up to his mouth and smiled gently, eyes softening, then quickly wiped it away when he realized he was acting like a girl.

Clearing his throat, Ritsu stepped into the bathroom but couldn't stop from rolling his eyes and chuckling. "Masamune, what are you doing?"

"Washing our daughter. What else?" _Our daughter._ No matter how many times that was mentioned, Ritsu would never get tired of hearing it. _Our daughter._ It sounded so wonderful. "Did you want to join?" Masamune raised his eyebrows, a playful smirk on his lips.

"I doubt I would even fit. It's a wonder that _you_ could," Ritsu sniped back teasingly.

Masamune adopted a mock-hurt expression. "Are you calling me fat?" He stopped lathering Ritsuka's hair and tapped on her shoulder. "Ritsuka, did you hear that?"

"What is it, Papa?" She asked, her high-pitched voice comforting to both their ears.

"Your daddy called me fat."

Ritsuka gasped, glaring at Ritsu—well…as much as a toddler could, anyways. "Daddy! Say sorry to Papa. He's not fat at all!"

Ritsu struggled to keep the smile off his face. "I'm very sorry, Papa. Please forgive me."

It seemed Masamune had difficulties with the same problem as well. "Hm…well, only if you do something for me. What should he do, Ritsuka?"

"Um…" Ritsuka put on her "thinking face"—which was basically scrunching up her little round face and pretending to think. Ritsu found it adorable. "Daddy should bathe with us!"

 _Oh god. Could I even fit in there? I doubt it._ "Er…sweetie, I don't think we would all fi—"

"Pleeeeease?" Well, if she clasped her hands together like that and _pouted like that_ , then how could Ritsu deny her? Heaven knows he shouldn't have spoiled her as he did.

"You heard her, _Daddy_. Get in the tub," Masamune chipped in unhelpfully, looking far too pleased with this turn of events. "Or I'll make you."

"Yeah!" Ritsuka declared, a strange determined glint to her eyes that Ritsu swore he'd never seen before. Maybe it was from spending too much time with that Kusama-Kamijou kid from the daycare…

Ritsu felt betrayed. Betrayed by his husband and now his daughter. Agh, what has life come to? "Alright, alright…" He ignored both of their cheering—particularly Masamune's, since the guy would take any opportunity to see him wet and naked. "Let me get out of my clothes…"

"Too slow," Masamune announced, reaching out and yanking on Ritsu's arm, making him fall into the bathtub with a loud splash of water and bubbles.

"Papa!" Ritsuka squealed, shutting her eyes against the onslaught of water.

Ritsu may or may not have squealed as loudly as his daughter…if the smirk on Masamune's face was any indication, he did. Glaring and now soaking wet as he sat across from them, Ritsu lifted his wet clothes and sulked, pouting at both of them.

"Thanks a lot, you two," he grumbled, his clothes weighing him down into the water.

"Tch. Lighten up, shrimp," Masamune teased, flicking some water at Ritsu.

 _Fine. I'll lighten up._ With a smile that suddenly had Masamune raising an eyebrow, Ritsu splashed a bit of water on both of them, making Ritsuka giggle and his husband only return the same smile.

And so the three of them engaged into a water battle with Team Pink Sparkles (Ritsuka's idea) versus Team Ritsu, their only weapons the slowly-disappearing bubbles around them and, of course, any water at their disposal. It was a battle of epic proportions, judging by all the laughter and fake-injuries that Ritsu and Masamune sported.

"Agh! I'm hit!" Ritsu yelled, slumping against the side of the bathtub. He clenched a hand over his side. "Too…strong!"

Ritsuka clapped her hands together. "Yay! We beat Daddy, Papa!"

Masamune acknowledge this with a chuckle. "Yes we did. Go Team Pink Sparkles."

Of course, this was the perfect distraction for Ritsu to implement his last sneak attack. While the two enemies were celebrating, he moved forward and started tickling his daughter's sides, making her squeal and laugh loudly, her sounds bouncing off the walls.

"Surrender!" Ritsu shouted, continuing with his barrage of tickles.

"N-no! Daddy!" Ritsuka had one hell of a stubborn streak. "Papa, help!"

"Hm, well, he'll have his own… _punishment_ later if he doesn't stop right now," Masamune said, eyes narrowing dangerously.

… _.fuck._ Ritsu didn't swear much, but he knew when to stop, otherwise he'd see ties everywhere for the next few days. He held his hands up in defeat. "Okay, I surrender then. I guess Team Pink Sparkles is the victor."

"Yay!" Ritsuka cheered, and Ritsu had to wonder what he did in life to deserve a life as perfect as this.

"Yay, indeed. Don't I— _we_ deserve a reward, Ritsu?"

Yep. Still perfect.

* * *

A/N: (1) I just used one of the names I found often in fanfiction. This is definitely not canon.

(2) Thanks to **SaySaeri** for pointing this out for me in one of my earlier fics!

Hope you enjoyed!

-ChemicallyEnhanced


	4. Chapter 4

Please listen to "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri while you're reading this. It was my inspiration.

This is semi-AU I guess. Don't ask why.

* * *

It was strange not having Takano hovering over his shoulder on the way home from the subway. Normally the older editor would use any sort of excuse to be closer, but he'd left so quickly as soon as he finished with his work at Marukawa that Ritsu didn't even see him out. Not that it bothered him or anything. If anything, it was sort of a relief for him because he could actually relax just a little bit while walking home and sitting on the subway. Well he used that excuse in his mind, anyways.

Ritsu flipped open his phone; _21.30._

 _Sigh, it's getting late, isn't it? I should eat something..._ One look into his refrigerator revealed only energy packets and some rotten fruit in the back. _Well, never mind then. I wonder if—er, no. Never mind that thought._ He sighed again and sat down in front of his couch, skimming through a book that he'd gotten at the public library the week before. Tonight was the first in a long time that he didn't have to do any extra work. What a treat, huh?

He started when his cell phone started ringing in the empty silence. "Hello?"

"Onodera."

A faint choking/rage noise could be heard.

"Whatever you were doing, drop it and come out onto your balcony."

"A-ah…" Ritsu scattered some papers around to make it seem like he was doing something. "S-sorry, Takano-san. I'm busy."

"Liar. Just come out." Even across the phone, Takano's dry and deadpan voice could be heard.

Groaning in fake aggravation—because he'd stopped being truly annoyed a while ago—Ritsu shuffled over to his balcony doors and slid them open, stepping out onto the small overhang. "So? What is it?"

"Look down."

Ritsu did so—and very nearly dropped his phone. Standing there, 12 floors down, was Takano, phone pressed to his ear, CD player in hand, and the faintest smile on his face.

"See me?"

"Y-yeah…" Ritsu couldn't say anything more, really. What was Takano thinking? He was on the 12th floor, how could he hear any—okay, no. He _wasn't_ anticipating anything, he wasn't. "What're you doing?"

Takano's low tone traveled through the phone. "Just listen." The phone hung up and Ritsu was left standing there, wondering what in the hell this man was going to do now.

Takano set the CD player down and must have pressed the _on_ button, for the beginning sounds of music drifted up into the night air and onto Ritsu's balcony.

Then…he began to sing.

 _Heart beats fast_

 _Colors and promises_

 _How to be brave_

 _How can I love when I'm afraid_

 _To fall_

 _But watching you stand alone_

 _All of my doubt_

 _Suddenly goes away somehow_

 _One step closer_

 _I have died every day waiting for you_

 _Darling don't be afraid_

 _I have loved you_

 _For a thousand years_

 _I'll love you for a thousand more…_

 _And all along I believed_

 _I would find you_

 _Time has brought your heart to me_

 _I have loved you_

 _For a thousand years_

 _I'll love you for a thousand more…~_

And all the while Takano was singing, there was only the most sincere expression on his face, eyes as soft as Ritsu had ever seen them; no such arrogance or pride in his posture, just the hope that he would return the same feelings. Ritsu didn't know when he'd started crying. Maybe it was the way Takano's eyes had seemed almost pleading. Maybe it was when he sang "I have died every day waiting for you", because Ritsu had felt the same exact way all those years ago, after that misunderstanding. Or maybe it was because Ritsu loved Takano as much as Takano did him.

Ritsu covered his mouth with a hand, forcing the sobs not to burst out. Otherwise, he would never be able to stop.

This was…this was the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for him, in his entire life. And for Takano of all people to have done it only reassured Ritsu that his feelings for him were strong, and pure, and everlasting. He…loved Takano so much.

Takano stopped singing when the music stopped, and then he just stood there, hands stuffed into his jacket pockets and staring directly at Ritsu, waiting expectantly for his answer. It was…overwhelming, having that much power over someone like that. Ritsu wasn't sure whether he liked it or not. He did know, though, that Takano was the one. He was. There was no other person more fit for him, no other person he could love as much as Takano.

"Ritsu!" Takano called out, his voice quiet yet deafening in that cold autumn's night. He was still waiting, wasn't he?

Ritsu could only nod furiously, not trusting himself to say anything just yet. Takano just…lit up, as bright as the stars, as bright as the brilliant Christmas lights that were strung around the city every year. He was just so beautiful.

And as Takano rushed into the building the same time Ritsu rushed out of his apartment down to the lobby, they both knew, in their hearts, that there could never be a love as beautiful and as deep as the one they shared.

* * *

A/N: Just pretend Ritsu could hear Takano from 12 floors up. I know it's nearly impossible, but sh. Just enjoy it.

I thought this song really described them.

-ChemicallyEnhanced


	5. Chapter 5

There was supposed to be a separate series just for confessions, but then I put domestic fluff and confessions together into one.

* * *

"When?"

"Huh?" Ritsu hiccupped, tears running down his face.

"When…did you realize you hated me?" There was no expression. There was no inflection. There was no feeling. Masamune was tired. He was tired and tired and so damn exhausted of pushing against a stone wall. It pained him to think that he would have to let go…

"…?"

"…"

"What are you talking about?"

"…!"

Ritsu laughed wetly, eyes red and cheeks a mess, but still. Still Masamune thought he was beautiful and real and _god_ , he loved him so much he could hardly breathe. "I love you, Takano." He wiped at his nose, smearing gunk all over his cheeks, and smiled gently. "I'm glad I finally told you."

"…what…?" His voice was wind; it was wet paper, it was the waves washing up on the shore, here one moment and gone the next.

He only smiled wider. "What is it?"

Masamune stumbled forward until he was in front of the man he loved more than anything, anyone else in the world, his tongue heavy in his mouth. Ritsu's eyes shined like the stars. He suddenly found himself unable to support his body, and he let his head fall onto Ritsu's shoulder.

"You…" He dug his wet cheeks into Ritsu's neck.

The hall was quiet, with only the sound of their hearts beating as one.

* * *

A/N: So this is super short.

-ChemicallyEnhanced


	6. Chapter 6

Note: A line without an end quote means the next one is still said by the same person.

* * *

"Hey. Onodera."

"…"

"Oi, wake up." A nudge.

"…what do you want, Takano-san?" Grumbling and turning over.

"Oi, oi. Don't go falling asleep on me again."

"…"

"…it's an order from your superior."

A snort of amusement. "That doesn't work on me anymore."

"…damn. It got you up, though." A smirk.

"Shut up. What do you want?"

"…nothing."

Glaring. "If that's all then I'm going back to sleep."

"Wait, wait. I do have something."

"…?"

"…tell me a story."

"…"

"…?"

"…what."

"What?"

"Are you being serious right now?"

"Perfectly serious. Don't I look serious?"

"I don't know, considering it's _4 in the morning_ and my eyes are almost glued shut."

"…so, you gonna tell me that story?"

"…"

"…"

"…fine.

"…what are you doing?"

"Getting ready."

"How does 'getting ready' include holding me?"

"Tell me the story."

"Okay, okay. Once upon a time—"

"That's not how you start a story."

More glaring. "You asked me to tell you one. Now you want it or not?"

"…sorry, Ritsu-sama."

"Hmph. Once upon a time, there was a merchant who sold shoes. And everybody in the kingdom went to his shop to buy shoes. And he loved making shoes, too, so it was like the perfect job for him. Anyways, one day, a pale sickly little boy came in to buy a new pair of shoes. But he couldn't afford even one shoe. The shoemaker, who was kind and humble from his own poor beginnings, allowed the little boy to have a free pair of shoes, in exchange for part of a star."

"…that's impossible."

"…Takano-san…"

"…"

"Continuing on…the little boy agreed to the deal, even though both he and the shoemaker knew it was impossible. So the shoemaker waited for the little boy every day, to see if he would bring the part of a star he agreed on. Days passed, and weeks passed, and the shoemaker went on with his days selling shoes and waiting for the little boy. One night, as he was walking home, he looked up and saw the stars, and he smiled. Because up there, he saw that even though the little boy couldn't get him part of a star like he asked, he had become one himself. The end."

"…what?"

"What?"

"So the little kid died in the end?"

"What about it?"

"…that seems morbid. And depressing."

"You're the one who asked for a story. You didn't specify what kind."

"Yeah, but—"

"Anyways, I'm going back to sleep, since this whole nonsense is over."

"Wait—"

"…what?" Jaw clench.

"…"

"…?"

"…thank you."

Expression softening. "No problem." Kiss on forehead. Blushing. "Now I'm going to sleep."

"…"

"…"

"…I'm afraid of ghosts."

"…?"

"…nothing."

A click of tongue. "Is it that movie we watched earlier?"

"…no."

"Poor you. All afraid of ghosts that aren't real."

"…shut up and go to sleep."

"Gladly."

"…

"…

"…

"…Thanks for doing this for me, love." Closes eyes and falls asleep.

"…

"…of course."

 _The next morning_

"Ritsu, stop that."

"Ooh, are you going to run screaming?"

"…no."

"You don't look it."

"…"

"…"

"…no breakfast for you."

"Okay, I'll make it myself."

"…no more presents."

"Never asked for them."

"…no sex for a month."

"…!"

"…?" A smirk. Raised eyebrow.

"…fuck."

* * *

A/N: Hey, I never said it'd be a _love_ confession, did I? –grins- I had a lot of fun writing this one, to be honest, because I didn't have to worry about description. I'm a lot better at dialogue than description, lol.

And I know it's not particularly in-character, but I like to think even Ritsu sort of craves sex after he and Takano have been together for long enough.

-ChemicallyEnhanced


	7. Chapter 7

"A beer tonight?" That dark eyebrow rose in question as Ritsu slumped forward, leaning his head against the counter and rubbed at his temples.

"No, give me some whiskey."

It rose even higher. "You sure you can take that? No offense, but you seem kind of a…"

"What?" Ritsu turned his head up and glared. "A lightweight?"

"…yeah, sorta." Takano slid him a glass on a napkin, keeping a close eye on him in case he passed out after one sip or something. He wasn't kidding when he almost voiced that Onodera was a lightweight. Probably most lightweight of all the lightweights, if that made sense.

Luckily, the amber liquid traveled down Ritsu's slender throat smoothly, with only a small cough to his sleeve and a sneeze. Damn, that shouldn't have been as cute it was. Yes, it was true:

Takano had an unhealthy obsession with all things adorable, like the lolico—wait, wrong role. Let's begin again.

Yes, it was true:

Takano was attracted to the lonely, single businessman who'd come into his bar a few weeks before, wanting a drink and an impartial ear to listen to his tragic story. About how he worked for his father's company and was expected to marry the fiancée that his parents set up for him and yadda yadda yadda. He usually stopped completely listening after that because Ritsu would start drinking excessively and pass out not long after his third or fourth. Depended on how fast he was looking to get drunk.

But, woe is he, like all other terrible things that happened in his life—his parents' divorcing, getting fired from his first job, and his girlfriend of a year breaking up with him—pampered little Ritsu had no idea of his continually-growing attraction. It wasn't love, even he wasn't stupid to believe it was. It was just a very strong desire to fuck a guy who…for some reason, he hadn't bothered to seduce yet. Weird.

Normally, Masamune's style was like this: 1) Win someone over with a charming smile and his silver tongue, 2) Sleep with him or her, 3) Leave before he or she could wake up. He didn't fall in love. It wasn't his _thing._ But fucking was his thing. And he wanted to fuck Ritsu Onodera very, very badly. And that's all it was.

Or, at least, that was what his head said. Both of them.

"…an'…an' they dun even 'ppreciate what I do!" Oh, now Ritsu was rambling again. When did he get that second whiskey? Usually Masamune would just send him off on his merry drunk way towards a taxi after relating the guy's address to the driver—that he _swore_ he only found in Onodera's wallet because it had fallen out of his pocket one night—with no problem.

But he was really horny tonight and hadn't had a good fuck since he met this guy, so what the hell?

Leaning over the countertop, ignoring that small puddle of whiskey that had somehow fallen out of Ritsu's glass during his rant, Masamune grabbed onto Onodera's chin and kissed him harshly, forcing his tongue into the other's mouth.

 _Oh god, he tastes so fucking delicious…like sugar, but not as sweet._

With a soft moan, Ritsu's arms went up around his neck and reciprocated the kiss, nearly lying on top of the countertop, his hips jerking forward in search of some friction. Masamune thought it was one of the hottest things he'd ever seen. The other's tongue probed his, winding sloppily and inexperienced, but his eagerness and hot, panting breaths were something else to be recognized. With a messy smile against his lips, Ritsu removed a hand to palm at Masamune's growing cock. He groaned into the other's mouth, and the suddenness of it somehow jolted Masamune out of his lust-filled haze, making him wonder _what the hell was he thinking, taking advantage of a drunk guy like this?!_

…when did he worry about that?

He pulled back quickly, as if he'd been stung, and Ritsu let out a little whine, and it took nearly all of the self-control over his throbbing dick to not continue where they had left off—but somewhere more private, like the alley out back, or maybe his apartment.

"I really like you, Takano-san." Ritsu's eyes were a shimmery green but a bit too sober for how much he'd drunken. "I really do."

 _He…likes me? What is this, a middle-school confession?_ His chest jumped anyways, and he pressed an idle palm there.

But Ritsu only shrugged, and smiled, and started stumbling out of the bar, his steps clumsy and heavy. Right before he stepped out, though, he looked back and gave another smile, all hazy eyes and loose lips and wavering appearance. "I hope you'll tell me soon, too!"

And he left, leaving Masamune standing there, dumbfounded, his thoughts a horrible tangle of wires but his heart completely calm, like he knew exactly how he'd felt about Ritsu Onodera this whole time.

* * *

A/N: Oh man, this one was nice. I liked it.

-ChemicallyEnhanced


	8. Chapter 8

Masamune gave a sudden start when a small, thin hand wriggled its way into his, all fine bones and long fingers. The thought of who exactly was doing something as simple as _holding his hand_ made his face warm. He let his boney fingers slowly curl around the other's, cradling them in a loose embrace, as if they would suddenly move away if he clenched too tightly or moved too quickly. He let out an inaudible breath at the exhilarated feeling in his chest. Who knew that something as mundane as _this_ would make him feel like he'd run a marathon?

"Senpai..." A quiet voice stumbled out. Glancing over to his side, Masamune took in those pink cheeks and wide eyes and heart-shaped face and his heart tripped over in his chest, falling over that crack known as "love" and dropping down into an abyss he never wanted to even try to escape from.

"…?"

"…uhm…" That small body squirmed around in the grass, those cherry blossom lips pursing into a nervous frown. "…t-tomorrow's your birthday, right?"

How did he know that? A cool breeze whooshed through his black locks, disturbed the long blades of grass that waved gently in the wind, the small purple flowers that moved around as if in a hypnotic dance. "Yes…" Masamune answered slowly, quietly, strangely anticipating what his kouhai would say next.

Would he want to spend the day with him? Would he get him something? His heart swelled, overfilled, spilled over with love and affection for the person lying beside him. Anything from him would be enough. Anything at all; Masamune would treasure it until he died.

"W-well…I was just…wondering," his tongue fell over the words heavily, "…would you want to…go somewhere?" And those eyes immediately shuttered closed, waiting for the inevitable rejection that would come with his stupid, stupid question. Masamune had to fight to not tighten his grip on the other's hand. He couldn't believe it. He…wanted to spend the day with him…on his _birthday._

"…where would we go?"

Green emeralds widened, a look of complete and utter wonder overtaking them. Pale cheeks flushed and lips trembled. "R-really? Y-you want to spend your birthday together?"

Don't be so fucking eager, Masamune. Like a dog, which he hated. So he shrugged, feigning indifference; with the blank expression he greeted everyone with most of the time, it was easy to pretend he didn't care either way. Being too eager would only scare him, his little kouhai, away. "…sure."

There was an odd snuffling noise from next to him. He turned his head, and, shockingly, a small hand was clamped over a quivering red mouth, and beads of water were trailing down soft cheeks.

"…hey, what're you crying for?"

He gasped faintly and removed his hand from his mouth. "S-sorry, senpai. J-just…I'm just really happy." Lips curved into a wavering smile, and Masamune had to take a literal breath; it was so, so _beautiful._ His smile was so beautiful. This kid…he was so easy to please. Then again, wasn't he as well?

They were both so ridiculous, but maybe that was why they fit together so well.

 _I'm so, so happy, too, Ritsu. I'm so happy you wanted to spend time with me, that you thought of me first. I love you, I love you, I—_

"…love you," he muttered under his breath, his breath catching in his throat when he realized he accidentally said that out loud.

"S-senpai?!"

"…"

He was fully crying now, hiccupping noises rising out of his throat, tears racing tracks down his cheeks as he tried in vain to wipe them away with one hand. Neither of them had bothered to take his hand away. "…y-you m-m-mean that, s-senpai?"

Masamune could only nod minutely.

Ritsu let out a laugh in his high 15 year old voice, and it sounded like the most wonderful thing he'd ever heard. "I…I love you too, senpai. So much."

Leaning in, Masamune pressed a warm kiss to his love's forehead, feeling the skin heat up underneath his lips and resting his head against soft brown hair, oddly comforted at the physical contact between them.

"S-senpai, maybe we could go see a movie or wander around window-shopping or…" His excited chatter continued on as Masamune half-listened on, smiling to himself.

Ah, yes.

 _This_ was what it felt like to be in love…

* * *

A/N: This is one of my favorites. I like the writing style and detail I put here.

-ChemicallyEnhanced


	9. Chapter 9

Ritsu didn't drink too often.

Besides the fact that he was a complete lightweight and often blabbed about the most personal stuff or burst into dramatic tears when he was drunk enough, he never had any time. So at the first hint of time off—meaning one late night he _didn't_ have to spend working, Kisa had grabbed ahold of his arm and pulled him to one of his regular drinking holes.

Thank god it wasn't one of _those_ —the ones that Kisa would go to every so often and take random guys home. He didn't think he'd be able to stand it if one of his senpai's one-night stands suddenly came up to them and asked for their numbers. It made him shudder just to think about it.

"Er…what brought this on, Kisa-san?" Ritsu asked haltingly, taking a small sip of his beer.

Kisa leaned back against the counter, smiling lazily. "Weelll…" It shouldn't have been any surprise that he'd already downed two drinks within five minutes of sitting down at the bar, but Ritsu was still astounded at Kisa's unexpected loose behavior. "I just thought, 'Why not welcome Ricchan into the team?'"

"…it's been over a year, Kisa-san."

He only waved a hand like it didn't really matter too much whether Ritsu had been with Marukawa for a week or a year. "Semantics. Anyways, that's not _all_ I dragged you here for." He hiccupped and giggled.

"And…what's the other reason for?" Ritsu stared into his beer, feeling ominously horrible about what Kisa was about to say next.

"Ricchan, pu-leaze. We all know that you and Takano-san are fucking."

Ritsu choked on his next gulp and pounded at his chest, coughing raggedly into his fist. "Ex-excuse me?! Whatever gave you that idea?!"

Giving him a slightly unimpressed look, though it was ruined by his sloppy smile, Kisa clicked his tongue and called another beer over. "You're both really obvious, you know? I've known it since the first day you came in."

"Well, whatever crazy ideas are floating around in your head, I can assure you that there is _nothing_ between Takano-san and me!"

"…"

"A-and…and he's such a…such a…" Ritsu couldn't find the word for it, feeling too drunk and messy and his tongue was all over the place. He tipped his glass back for another gulp but found it disappointingly empty.

"A jerk?" Kisa squinted at some dark corner of the bar, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him or if he really was seeing Ichimura sitting there, staring at him… ah well. It was probably nothing.

"That's it! He's such a j-jerk! A-a'ways pushin' me 'round and kissin' me and…" Ritsu slurred, laying his burning cheeks against the cool counter, thankful for its temperature.

"Mhm…"

There was quiet for a few moments, only punctuated by the noisy bar chatter and clink of beer cans and glasses.

"B-but I…I…"

"You…what?"

"I love him a lot," He whispered, tears springing to the corners of his eyes.

Kisa only rolled his eyes. Here was the emotional part of lightweights getting drunk.

"And…and you know somethin' he does…that I really really like?" Ritsu snorted out, almost giggling and acting like a little kid.

Or not.

"…?"

"I…I like it whennee calls me 'darlin', like he's from 'Merica." More snorts and giggles, followed by a sigh that sounded most decidedly like that of a lovesick fool.

Kisa sighed, resting his hand on his palm and staring at his very drunk and very much in love friend. He was lucky, really lucky—and he had no idea of that. "Is that it…" He'd thought drinking with Ricchan would be fun and they'd be ogling over attractive men or gossiping like ladies about their respective boyfriends; but instead, it had turned into a night of sentimentality for Ritsu and a night of nostalgia for Kisa.

With another short sigh, Kisa took his cellphone out and called his boss' number. _Brrng…brrng…_

"Hello?"

"Takano-san, get over here and pick your boyfriend up."

Five minutes later, Ritsu was seated safely in Takano's black car, buckled up and sleeping peacefully with only small bursts of mutters and more giggles; and Kisa was left with the walk home to his apartment. Yukina, unfortunately, would be preparing for an art exhibit soon and didn't have any time to see him. His lips quirked almost sadly as he saw Takano brush some hair out of Ritsu's eyes and kiss his forehead before he turned back and started the lonely trek back home.

* * *

A/N: LOL, oh god, this turned out so weird.

-ChemicallyEnhanced


	10. Chapter 10

Warnings: OOC, and you're probably going to hate Ritsu in this. Well, I don't know. Maybe.

* * *

 _He may be proud, but he's more sensitive than he looks; feels like he'd go down with one hit._

* * *

Yokozawa _knew_ Masamune was insanely proud; he'd practically lived with the guy for years, and even now, they were still good enough friends—basically brothers if you asked him around Kirishima—for him to know all his old friend's habits and behaviors without needing to ask him. He didn't know what Kirishima was talking about at the time; but now, as Masamune stood in front of his apartment drenched in rain but still smiling crookedly and holding two packs of beer, he finally recognized the older man's cryptic words as unbelievably, heart-breakingly true.

"Mind if I steal in?" His first love quipped, already clambering his way in and slipping his shoes off. Unbidden, Yokozawa heard the slight tremor under layers and layers of feigned indifference, learned from years of practice.

Masamune was hurting, and very badly at that.

"…sure," Yokozawa answered slowly, moving aside to let him in and shuffling to the living room, the other male following close behind. "Not like I'd stop you anyways."

It was like he didn't even hear him; Masamune just slumped onto the sofa, cracked open a can, and started chugging it down like there was no tomorrow. Once that can was done, he took a gasping breath and began another one. Eyes narrowing, Yokozawa rushed over and pulled the can from his friend's hands.

"What are you trying to do, get so drunk you pass out?" He nearly hissed, clenching the can in his hands.

"Yes," was all he got out of him.

Inexplicably, Yokozawa knew exactly who this was about. He couldn't force Masamune to not drink; maybe if he was drunk enough, he could wheedle out the exact details of why his friend was so suddenly in his apartment instead of the apartment he shared with _Ritsu Onodera._ Even the name sent a wave of anger and hatred through him. He'd told the little shit over and over again that it was _his_ fault Masamune always came to him with a broken heart, _his_ fault that Masamune lived and breathed for him.

Of course, he couldn't say anything because 1) He was over that "jealous-unrequited-first-love stage", thanks to someone who will not be named; and 2) The time in which the couple _wasn't_ fighting was probably the happiest in Masamune's life, if the lovesick looks he sent his boyfriend everyday were any indication.

So Yokozawa kept quiet and let his best friend drown his sorrows in alcohol.

Lots and _lots_ of alcohol.

By the fifth drink, Masamune was completely wasted. It usually took a bit more for him to get drunk, but with the speed in which he was drinking—and the lack of food that was probably in his stomach—it didn't take long for him to get from sober and mildly calm to drooping over his beer can and hysterically miserable. Yokozawa himself had only taken small sips from his drink—he had to…go somewhere early the next morning, which rhymed with "Kirishima".

"That little…cunt," Masamune snarled, fingers denting the can with how hard he was holding it. His cheeks pressed flat against the coffee table, and Yokozawa took another casual sip. It was always good to listen quietly when Masamune went into one of his infrequent rants; any attempt at answering back was met with fists and rage like no one had ever seen before.

"He just…he—"Quite suddenly, he began crying into his beer; loud, harsh sounds that tore into Yokozawa's previously quiet apartment. Setting his drink down, Yokozawa carefully maneuvered himself into a sitting position that would allow him to listen better and offer awkward comfort in the best way he could. "He…he didn't even…"

Masamune threw his can at the wall, painting it with piss-yellow liquid, and collapsed in on himself, hands shaking terribly and face wet with tears that couldn't even stop. Yokozawa watched on in wide-eyed concern, not knowing what Masamune's impulsive boyfriend had done this time. "I…did I _do_ something wrong?! Is that why…is that why he left me?!"

He turned to Yokozawa, who was too shocked for words; he couldn't even feel the fury that would normally be boiling in his veins at the confirmation that Onodera had hurt Masamune _again._ "I bought him gifts, I treated him as best I could, I showed him…" He roughly swiped at his tears with the backs of his hands, but they still couldn't stop. "I…showed him how much I love him, every day, every single day…but apparently that still wasn't enough…" Masamune whispered this last part to himself, almost as if he didn't want Yokozawa to hear it. "It still wasn't enough, I guess…"

"S-sorry…" Masamune said, barely audible, as silent sobs took over his body. He lurched up and stumbled over to the bathroom, jerking the door open. "L-let me use your bathroom. Sorry." He slammed the door shut, and the noise was able to shatter the haze that had settled over Yokozawa's mind during his friend's desperate search for answers.

A rage so overwhelming filled his body as he tried not to flip the table over or throw something. So it wasn't enough that Masamune had been hurt _for ten fucking years_ , Onodera had to _break up_ with him, too?! Yokozawa wanted to hurt something, or someone. Preferably the one who'd broken his friend so badly. But, no. He could still hear Masamune's wheezing sobs from the bathroom and the pain oozing out of them was just barely enough to calm him down. His best friend needed someone, so he would just have to suffice for now.

With padded feet, silently, Yokozawa shuffled over to the bathroom door and didn't even hesitate: he burst his way in, and there Masamune sat, in the bathtub and looking the most pitiful sight in the world. The shower was on and he was trembling and seemed to be having trouble even breathing correctly. Sighing quietly, Yokozawa kneeled over and turned the water off, and Masamune didn't even notice. He was still rambling to himself.

"Maybe…maybe I heard incorrectly. Maybe he didn't mean it."

Great, now he was in the denial stage.

"Do…do you think he didn't mean it, Yokozawa? I hope he didn't. Maybe he's waiting at home for me, wondering where I am and…and I…" The silent, shaking sobs started up again, and he curled into himself, gasping, like he couldn't breathe. Yokozawa placed his hand on Masamune's back, as the most form of comfort that he was able to bring.

"Why did he leave me, Yokozawa? Why?! I love him, I love him so much _I would die for him_ , and yet he…"

Wait—

Shit, he was hyperventilating. This was just like back in college, except Masamune had had a little more control over his emotions at the time and didn't cry as much as now.

"B-breathe…" Yokozawa suggested in an even tone, not wanting to show how _he_ was in pain as well. "Just…breathe, Masamune."

With loud, ragged gasps, Masamune slowly was able to breathe normally again, and the crying had stopped, but he was still shaking, and his eyes were wet and shiny and filled with the kind of pain that _he shouldn't have to feel._

Finally, after what must have been an hour, he calmed down. In, out. In…shuddering out. In…shuddering out.

"…sorry," he said, his voice completely emotionless. "I must've ruined your night."

Yokozawa snorted, having removed his hand long ago. "You think I would've just left you like this? You'd be killed on the streets in an instant."

"…it feels like that."

"What?"

"Like I'm dying. Why…" Masamune flexed a hand over where his heart was. "Why does it hurt so much, Yokozawa?"

 _It hurts because you can't do anything about it. It hurts because no matter how much you wished it wasn't true, nothing will change. It hurts because…I felt like that, once._

"You're probably getting heartburn, old man," Yokozawa replied instead, a tint of amusement coloring his voice.

Masamune scoffed, weakly. "You're the old man; kids think you're 35."

"Oi, oi." Yokozawa punched his friend's arm teasingly. "Not every kid thinks that."

"Ah, yeah. What was her name again?"

"Hiyori."

"She still thinks you're her _oni-chan_ ," Masamune snickered faintly. "Even after you and Kirishima—"

"Finish that sentence and I will stab you with a fork."

"Yeah, yeah, _oji-san_."

 _Thank god I was able to calm him down._

It wouldn't heal him, not by a long-shot; but for the time being, it was enough.

* * *

Masamune was deteriorating. Any idiot could see that. In the office, at home, everywhere. He brought his rot and peeling flesh everywhere he went; anybody could see that although he was moving around, although he was working and still shouting at authors and going over to their houses to finish manuscripts until so very early in the morning, he was dying inside.

There wasn't any spark in his eyes, there wasn't any life within him. His life was now confined to work during the day, and either drinking with Yokozawa or sitting at his dining table wondering what the hell he was going to do next at night. There was no space for anything else. No friends, no free time, and _especially_ , no love. At all. He didn't allow it.

Soon after… _that_ happened, he'd gotten a letter on his desk from Kisa, apparently given to him by…his previous subordinate two weeks before. It wasn't a resignation letter, that was for certain.

 _Thank god_ , he thought when he read through it. _Thank god he isn't leaving._

Even after he'd broken Masamune's heart, broken _Masamune_ himself, Masamune still wanted to see him, still wanted to be with him. There was no other option. But of course, that couldn't happen.

It was a letter detailing his transfer to the literature department of Marukawa.

 _Thank god._

"Takano-san."

"What?"

"You've been staring at that same panel for ten minutes."

"Ah…is that so…"

"…"

"Thank you for telling me."

* * *

"Takano-san." It took all his willpower to not let his voice waver, to stand firm and—he hoped—confidently as he stared at Takano Masamune's back in front of his apartment door.

"…"

"Takano-san. Did you not h-hear me?"

Slowly, as slowly as time could ever pass, Takano turned around, and Ritsu's lip twitched as he saw the dead look in the older male's eyes.

"I heard you. What do you want?"

Ritsu took a step forward. Takano took a step back. His hand was gripping his doorknob tightly.

 _Just…wait a minute. Wait._

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Well, I don't. Leave me alone." Takano went to open the door, but Ritsu beat him to the punch, grabbing onto his hand before he could turn the knob. Amber eyes widened and long, pale fingers stiffened under his.

"Please. Takano-san."

"…"

"Just…give me a minute."

"…what?"

"I…hurt you. I know that. I'm not so stupid as to think I didn't. But you have to know that…" _I hurt myself, too. So, so much._ "…I had to do it."

"Hah?!" Takano's eyes narrowed in anger, his mouth set in angry frown.

"Takano-san, please!" Ritsu took a breath. He had to explain, at least once, so maybe Takano could see where he was coming from. He probably wouldn't forgive him, he wouldn't want to get back together, but Ritsu just needed him to _listen._

"…"

"My mother called me, a month ago. It was…when I had to use the bathroom at that nice restaurant, that one time." He knew Takano understood which restaurant he was talking about. "She'd…heard about An breaking off the engagement with me, and…she threatened to disown me if I didn't—"Here he swallowed the lump in his throat, "—leave you. That's…all it was. It wasn't out of spite, or…or not wanting to be with you. Because, _god,_ that's…" He ran his free hand through his hair, laughing dryly. "That's all I've wanted to do, for forever. I've always wanted to be with you, Masamune. Always."

"…"

There was a long silence in which Ritsu struggled not to lose his nerve and just get back into the elevator and leave the apartment building.

"…and," He felt he needed to add, "I still…want it. To be together with you, I mean. If you'll…take me back."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…why should I believe a _word_ you say?" Ritsu's breath trembled, but Takano didn't sound particularly angry; he just sounded so tired and weary, like he couldn't lift this burden by himself and was about to crumble to pieces.

"You…you don't have to. I just…" He took his hand away, shoved it into his pocket. "…just wanted, to tell you. That's all."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Okay."

"…what?"

Masamune smiled then, a small, barely-there smile with too many jagged edges and late-nights crying and too many heartbreaks, too soon too fast, but it was a _smile,_ and it was something. "You don't think I'd try to find you for ten years if I gave up on us so quickly, did you?"

Of course Ritsu knew that. Of course, of _course_. And he couldn't help but smile, too. But it faded when he thought about how his parents would react to this.

"What is it?" Masamune questioned, fingertips touching the edges of Ritsu's elbow. It was a show of unwavering support, and for that Ritsu was incomprehensibly grateful.

Ritsu leaned imperceptibly into the touch. "It's…my parents—what would they say? What would my _mother_ say? She…I don't want to go against her wishes." His eyebrows drew together in worry, and suddenly he became rather upset thinking about it.

"Well, we're just going to have to figure that out together, won't we?"

 _Yes,_ Ritsu thought as he blushed when Masamune kissed his cheek and wrapped a firm arm around him. _Together is good._

* * *

A/N: Actually, I realized that this wasn't as bad as I first thought it was. Family is insurmountably important in Asian culture, so I understand that Ritsu would most likely do something like this just to follow his parents' orders. It's heartbreaking, but—well, that's Asian parents for you, mostly. I mean in general; not that all Asian parents are like this.

By the way, that italicized line at the top; Kirishima says that to Yokozawa in "Yokozawa Takafumi no Baai" the first time they go out drinking. Just an fyi.

 _Oni-chan_ means "big brother (pretty sure)", and _oji-san_ means "old man (pretty sure again)", just in case you guys didn't get that.

-ChemicallyEnhanced


	11. Chapter 11

If you listen to the 'Dirge' ost from Death Note, you might get into the mood.

* * *

Hatori wasn't stupid. Far from it, actually.

He knew how to pay taxes and do his job and all the mundane adult things that adults like him had to do. There were moments, though; moments that left him blind-sided, moments in which he had no idea how to react, how to behave, how to _exist_ , right there in that moment.

This was one of those moments.

He honestly has no idea how to act right now. The sun is shining, birds are chirping, life seems _good_ , but the atmosphere in the cemetery is anything but good. People are crying, the mood is somber, lives are breaking. Just breaking into tiny little bone-white china pieces that he has no idea how to glue back together. _His_ life is breaking, too. Chiaki next to him hiccups; he didn't know the deceased that well, but the times he _did_ meet him were…inconsequential, now that Hatori thought about it. They were inconsequential, they didn't mean anything in the span of an entire lifetime. But somehow, they had to mean something, or his lover wouldn't have been crying over the death of Masamune Takano's body.

He's sitting in one of those uncomfortable white chairs that people bring out for funerals, the ones that hurt your ass and press into your back like someone constantly prodding and poking and _bothering_ you like hell, and _why can't you just leave me alone?!_ His fingers are clenched on his black dress pants so tightly he can't feel the blood in them anymore. He _doesn't_ want to feel anymore.

Most importantly, he doesn't want to feel anymore because that _look_ , that look on Ritsu Onodera's face is so…Hatori can't even explain it. He can't say heart-breaking, no. It's so much more than _just_ that. They were so good with each other, he thinks past all the static and grey scribbles and _no, forget about that thought, don't let it take place in this already chaotic mind._

 _They were so good with each other._

And now Hatori thinks that he can't hold back anymore, so he quietly cries into his hand, quietly, silently, so Chiaki won't see him and nobody else will see him and wonder why _Hatori, the one who was most stoic, most stone-faced is_ crying, _is_ breaking _right into those little pieces and he can't stop, can't…can't—_

Takano was— _is? was?_ —remarkable. He was. Hatori can't deny it. Takano was like a flash of lightning, like a star that burned too brightly and died out too quickly. He was absolutely…absolutely…

 _Original._ He was so original, so…one-of-a-kind, the kind of man that every man wanted to be and the kind of man that you looked up to and the kind of man that tore everything apart only to build it back up again, better; and you couldn't forget him when he left. Because people like that always left as quickly as they came.

Onodera sits back down, and his eyes are so _hollow_ , so _dead_ , like there's no life in him anymore, like his soul has just been taken out and he's just an empty husk waiting to decompose. Perhaps he really is just that. When Takano left, he must've taken Onodera's life with him. It's just that simple.

Hatori feels a panic attack rising in him. He doesn't get them very often, but quite suddenly he feels his grasp on his life slipping and he can't keep _calm_ , he _needs_ something to anchor him back to this material world or he'll just die right along with Onodera.

 _What if…_

 _What if…_

 _What if—_

There are so many 'what-ifs', so many 'maybes' and 'what if this happened instead?'. With slippery hands, he clutches onto Chiaki's hand next to him. He is so weak. He's supposed to be the strong one, the 'rock' in this relationship, but he finds he can't do that without his boyfriend, without the love of his life, next to him. Chiaki doesn't question his sudden panic, the fear that he can feel through Hatori's hand.

He only squeezes tighter and finally, finally, Hatori lets the tears that he's been bottling up drip down his face, and he suddenly feel like the world has just fallen over.

The sky above them shines blue, the birds are conversing cheerily; but in that small bubble of barely ten people, of the people most important to Masamune Takano, there is only—

 _Silence._

* * *

A/N: I might go back to that traditional Japanese funeral idea, maybe.

-ChemicallyEnhanced


	12. Chapter 12

_I love you…_ You think you hear right before you fall asleep, in between the scratchy white sheets and filtered moonlight.

For a moment, your heart stills, and you can't breathe. You wonder if he must have whispered it in his sleep; or if he accidentally let it slip; or if he's as wide awake as you are now, blushing to the tips of his ears and _I can't believe I even said that!_ So you turn around, carefully, and he _looks_ asleep, but no, his eyes look too clenched together and his ears are still that crimson color, so bright even in the dark.

You think about letting it fade, letting that impossible confession stay as it is. The next morning will swiftly come, and you'll both wake up and pretend that nothing happened between the two of you—well, he will anyways. You'll just lie there naked and bare to him, desperately wishing that you two were something _more_ , something more than just the strange fuck-buddies that you've come to be. You'll scream it out in your heart; but on the outside, you'll take it coolly, make perverted, leering comments about how nice his ass looks and drawl that he should just confess to you already so you two can get on with your lives.

But, no…the prospect of reliving that over again makes your throat tight, like there's something hard lodged in there, and you know that it's the emotions you've tried so hard to not let anyone see. In his presence, though, everything you've ever felt is out in the open, and…it really sucks. So you lean forward and shake his shoulder, almost roughly, so he'll definitely wake up and can't blame it on suddenly falling asleep again.

"Hm? What?" He rubs his eyes and shifts, bare lithe body moving underneath the sheets. You admit, he plays quite the actor. Too bad you can see right through him.

You huff quietly, a small smile coming unbidden to your pale lips, and you have no idea why. "You finally said it."

"W-what? I didn't—" He stops, pinching his lips together. You grin triumphantly; at _2.16_ in the morning, you grin, because he's stuttered, and you know you've got him. He glares at you and rolls over, pulling the blankets over him. "Go back to sleep, Takano-san."

With a mock pout, you roll over right with him, folding your legs around his and holding him close to you. "How mean," you complain, but you're still smiling, still grinning, and idly, in the back of your mind, you think you should probably get checked out; because no sane person would be so smiley when the person he loves basically rejects ever saying 'I love you'.

Ah, how love has softened your heart.

"Besides," you continue, "If I fall back asleep, I won't be able to hear you say _I love youuuu~_."

He stiffens—not the good kind, unfortunately—and you press your lips to the warm skin of the nape of his neck, smiling against it. "U-um, Takano-san. I don't know what you've been dreaming about, but I have _not_ said anything of the sort. You must have been hallucinating."

"If it was a hallucination, then it was a damn good one." Somehow, that simple sentence is saturated with all the sadness that you've ever felt, and you're suddenly brought back to the actual situation at hand, the one where you both pretend nothing is between you but there's a fragile need to want more.

Pausing, he's silent for a moment, then, "You probably need to get checked out if you've been having hallucinations."

You wonder what in the world he's doing, and—

A sudden rush of emotion overwhelms you, and you almost can't breathe, and you love him. You love him, you always have. You're still smiling against his neck as you say the words, "I don't mind, if you were the doctor, of course."

"Tch. Trying to fulfill one of your perverted fantasies?"

"I only have them with you."

"Gee, that makes me feel special."

You try to inject as much feeling as you can, stressing, "You _are_ special. Really…really special."

He turns around in your embrace, raising an eyebrow. "You're being all sentimental. Not getting old on me, are you?"

"Hah. If anything, you'll be the one who dies before me, what with your diet and all—"

"Okay, okay. I know that. You've told me that a million times already, jeez."

"I only remind you because I love you, Ricchan," You drawl, smirking as he flushes again.

"Don't call me that!"

"Call you what, _Ricchan?_ "

"That! It's embarrassing!"

"You let Kisa call you that," You point out, tilting your head.

His eyes widen like he's just made some life-breaking discovery, and faintly, you hear him stammer a "C-c-c-cute…" but you can't really be sure. "What can I do to make you stop?" He pouts, cheeks still vaguely pink.

 _Say you love me._ "How about say you love me, one more time?" Hey, you always listen to your thoughts.

"U-um…how about something less challenging?"

"You're kidding me," you deadpan, but inside you're cracking up with laughter. 'Something less challenging?' This wasn't Jeopardy.

"I-it's hard for me to just say it!"

"Ah, so you admit you _do_ love me."

"What? No, when did I say that?"

"Just now. Don't deny it, Onodera."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"See?"

"…I hate it when you're right."

"Pouting won't help anything, Ritsu."

"…"

"…"

Ritsu's fantastic pout diminished into a, "Takano-saa…n… _god._ "

"That'll teach you to make such a cute face around me."

* * *

A/N: After over a year, I still don't remember where I was going with this. Welp. It was cute, anyways.

-ChemicallyEnhanced


	13. Chapter 13

Blame a sad ost from "Kokoro Connect". I don't own "Kafka on the Shore".

* * *

"No, it doesn't hurt. Not really." Ritsu smiled softly, pausing in his scratching out a letter and reaching over carefully to ruffle the younger boy's hair.

The boy's wide brown eyes held a questioning note. "Why doesn't it? Don't you love him, Onodera oji-san?"

With a small sigh, he set his pen down and stared out the window, distant. "Yes…very much, Kyosuke-chan."

"Then…wouldn't it hurt if the person you loved didn't remember you?" The boy's tone was curious, full of the naiveté that Ritsu remembered he used to have, all those years ago.

"No." Ritsu turned back with another warm, wrinkly smile. "Because I know that it wasn't all for nothing."

Confused, Kyosuke drew his eyebrows together and clicked his heels, but Ritsu only continued smiling—gently, nostalgically, the only sign of his distress already drifting away like the small dust motes in his study.

* * *

Quietly, Ritsu nudged the wooden door open and entered, carrying one single red orchid. "Takano-san?"

Aforesaid man started from reading and turned confused bronze eyes towards the sound. Recognition quickly flooded through them, but it was slightly distant, the kind that came from knowing someone but not being close to them. "Ah…Onodera-san. Hello."

Ritsu could only nod in greeting.

"May I help you?"

Suddenly Ritsu was overcome with an emotion he hadn't felt in years: embarrassment. The last time he'd felt it was when…well, that wasn't important.

He was told that he looked absolutely _stunning_ in white.

With a small, sheepish smile, Ritsu shuffled further into the room and held the flower up. "Just…thought you could use some color in here. It's all browns and grays, sheesh." His smile grew lopsided, and he felt like he was young again, just for a moment.

Normally, Masamune would retort back with something clever, something witty, and they'd go back and forth with playful teasing even in their old age.

But, no, this wasn't the Masamune that Ritsu remembered. "Oh. Is that all?"

Ritsu wasn't naïve, nor was he stupid. His smile didn't waver in the least, and he only let out a quiet sigh, content to just be in the same room as his one and only love. "Yes," he answered, moving forward and setting the beautiful flower on top of Masamune's book.

It wasn't depressing; it wasn't despairing; it was just the fact of life. Everyone grew old someday, and…Masamune had only reached that point a bit faster than Ritsu had thought he would. Masamune was so full of _life_ when he was younger, it was so difficult to believe that once such an intimidating, passionate man had softened to something more like the worn edges of a blanket. But it was just what happened in life, and Ritsu had accepted it long ago.

He watched as Masamune struggled to see the words in front of him, squinting his old-aged eyes at the small print. Ritsu laughed quietly, still so amazed at how terrible his eyesight had gotten. "…Takano-san?"

"What is it?"

"…Would you like me to read to you?"

"Tch," He sat back, the chair creaking under his weight. "I must be blind, for all I could see of these pages."

Ritsu had already picked the book up and taken a seat in the chair next to Masamune's bed. "No…not quite yet. Just let me do this for you."

"…Alright."

 _Kafka on the Shore_ , the title reads after a cursory glance. "'Cash isn't the only thing I take from my father's study when I leave…" Ritsu tunes out what he's reading, choosing instead to focus on the way Masamune's still-magnetic eyes light up at the sound of new words in a new book, how his posture straightens just slightly, and how a small smile tugs at the corner of his thin lips.

He loves these moments between them, where he can almost pretend that their dynamic is still the same; where, whenever Masamune's eyes got strained due to overwork, he'd lay in Ritsu's lap while Ritsu read to him; where, they could enjoy each other's company just with a book. Even with all the closure Ritsu received over the years, he still couldn't help but think back to memories past, of all the things they did and the memories that they gained together. He still is happy, though…it's quieter, and softer.

These moments still make him so happy, just to be with Masamune.

"…hey. Hey, Onodera-san."

Ritsu shook himself out of his ponderings, giving the other man a gentle smile. "Yes?"

"You…came here last week too, didn't you?"

Inwardly, he was crying. For Masamune, for the lost memories he seemed he'd never get back. It was getting worse every week. But on the outside, he gave one of his warm, enigmatic smiles and closed the book where he stopped. "Yes, I did. I came to read to you."

"…you…did."

"Yes, I did."

And it was the same the previous week, too. And the week before that. It was the same routine, the same book, the same flower that'd wilt and get thrown away by one of the weekly helpers.

But he was okay with it, because he would be comforted by the memories that they once shared.

* * *

A/N: This was very nice. I think I might write more of old Ritsu and Takano.

Red orchids mean passionate love.

Kyosuke is a random OC who may or may not have any close relation to Ritsu and Masamune. I don't know. You can make him their grandson or something.

-ChemicallyEnhanced


	14. Chapter 14

Music: Tokyo Ghoul - Unravel

* * *

 _How can their story end if it never began?_

Lost in his own denial, lost in the sea of _doubtpastheartbreakmisery_ , Ritsu sees himself missing his chance. It doesn't come as sudden as an epiphany. He thinks, _It must have been coming for years._ He's never had any problem with any decisions in his life, except this one. Everything is clear-cut, simple, easy. Not love. Never love. It never comes easy to him, not now at five-and-twenty years (1), not then as a young adolescent, still messy with infatuation and giggling like a little schoolboy at the thought of holding hands with his _Senpai._

He sees it, staring at the closed front door of his neighbor's apartment. A moment, a flash of _what-if_. _What if_ he'd never randomly confessed to his Senpai that one fated day in autumn (2)? _What if_ he'd never gone home with his Senpai?

 _It is so tragic, how he scurries to the next row of shelves in that school library to avoid being close to Senpai, and how he never knows that_ that _moment,_ that _second, is the last chance he never took to confess. He watches, blushing and frowning at the same time, as Senpai picks out the book he was going to take._

It's okay if Senpai takes the book, _he thinks, clutching his shaking hands closer to his chest, lips pulled up into a trembling smile at the thought of doing something for his Senpai._

 _And then he leaves, heart still palpitating, smiling so widely he must look like an idiot. And he doesn't look back as his Senpai stares out the window at him, thinking how it was a damn shame he never got to properly meet his little stalker before._

 _He never has another encounter like that again, not the next week, not ever._

 _He learns through word of mouth that his Senpai, the one he's been in love with for so many years, has moved to Kagawa_ (3) _, because of some terrible personal family problems that he never told anyone about._

 _His smile is frozen on his face as he listens to his classmates' urgent and whispered conversation. He knew it. He damn well knew it. He should've gathered up the fragile strings of his courage and talked to Senpai, at least._ At the very least. _Before he left._

 _Flash forward._

 _He lives a quiet life through high school, and through college, and he gets a job at his father's company before quickly switching to Marukawa after some vicious rumors about him. He doesn't care. It's overdramatic of him, sure, but he never told the only person he's ever loved that he did love him._

 _His second day on the job, he finds out his boss is his old first love, and that his family name has changed to Takano._

 _His fourth day on the job, he sees a pretty lady with brown hair kissing Takano's cheek and Takano laughing down in the lobby, and his smile freezes. Of course. He never confessed, back in high school. So how can he expect that his Senpai noticed him, and never fall in love along the way with someone else?_

" _We've been dating for…three years?" Takano tells him when he asks, teasingly._

 _And he can only swallow the lump rising in his throat, and smile, and say, "Oh?" Oh? Oh? Because Takano doesn't know how long he's been in love with his Senpai. He only knows that stalker with brown hair and green eyes from back in high school, the one who used to stare at him from behind those cursed bookshelves. Stupid. He feels so stupid for not taking his chance sooner._

" _Yeah," Takano says, lips quirking up at the corner. "I think I'm going to ask her to marry me soon."_

" _I…that's great."_

He nearly collapses as he comes back to the present, gasping and crying and he can't _breathe_ at how terrible, how empty, that future is. That future that could have happened just as easily as him actually confessing. He was so close. So close.

He bangs on the door, desperately, anxiously, like he'll never get another chance at this if he lets it go.

The door opens, and Takano's eyes widen, and he immediately kneels down, shaking Ritsu's shoulders. "Oi. Onodera. Are you okay? Ritsu?"

And it pains him, it pains him to know that Takano is worried _for_ him, that Takano loves him so intensely that there's hardly room for anything else. He frantically clutches at Takano's broad shoulders, at his arms, those arms that he could live in forever, and something inside his heart clicks into place. He reaches up and smashes his lips sloppily to Takano's, like he's lived a thousand lifetimes without him, and he can feel more than see Takano start above him, frozen in place by _confusionshockhappiness?_

"I love you," Ritsu gasps against Takano's shoulder, worried that _he's missed his chance, he'll never get another one, he'll never get to tell Takano that…_ "I love you, I've always loved you. Please…please."

He doesn't know if the drops on his shoulder are real or not, but Takano whispers in his ear, elation in his voice, "Took you long enough. Idiot."

And Ritsu can only hold fast, whole of heart once more.

* * *

A/N: (1) This just means '25'. I don't even know; I was reading a book with Old English and they wrote ages like this.

(2) I base this by how Ritsu says once in the anime that he never got to fulfill his fantasies about Takano's birthday because they must've broken up before then, and how they were only together for a month or so. I think.

(3) From newest chapter of manga.

-ChemicallyEnhanced


End file.
